Spokeswoman Olivia Watkins said Wednesday that department biologists found the fish kill had nothing to do with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The fish were found Friday in Bayou Chaland (shuh-LAHND). Watkins says low tide trapped fish in less than two feet of water. Hot water holds less oxygen than cold water, and heat speeds metabolisms so plants and animals need more oxygen.

Watkins says the water held too little oxygen to keep the fish alive.

Such fish kills are common in Louisiana's shallow waters in late summer and early fall.